Who is to blame for the Philadelphia Phillies falling short of a World Series title once again?
The Phillies had one of the most talented rosters in baseball this season, which makes their exit in the NLDS to the New York Mets all the more head-scratching.
Sure, Philadelphia ran into a buzzsaw and team of destiny in the Mets, but it’s possible that the Phillies weren’t put in the best position to succeed in October.
That fault would lie with Philadelphia’s manager, Rob Thomson, who now finds himself in real danger of being fired.
Thomson has been the Phillies’ manager since June 2022, when he took over in an interim capacity for the ousted Joe Girardi. Thomson led the 2022 Phillies all the way to the World Series (and had his interim tag removed along the way).
Thomson was subjected to media scrutiny after pulling Zach Wheeler from Game 6 of the World Series with the Phillies leading 1-0 in the sixth inning.
Thomson currently holds a 20-14 postseason record as Phillies manager in three seasons.
Will Philadelphia decide to fire Thomson? USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported on Thursday that the Phillies front office will hold meetings soon to determine the matter.
“Now that Atlanta has fired three veteran coaches in Kevin Seitzer, Sal Fasano and Bobby Magallanes, all eyes in the industry will be on Philadelphia,” Nightengale said.
“The Phillies will have evaluation meetings and decide whether to bring back manager Rob Thomson, or make coaching staff changes.”
Thomson has improved his regular season record in each year as manager, culminating in a 95-67 mark this season and a National League East pennant.
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